Price to Rent Ratio Calculator

Updated on 15-Jul-2025

Use our Price-to-Rent Ratio Calculator to determine whether buying or renting a property is more cost-effective.


$
$
Results

Annual Rent

$30000

Price-to-Rent Ratio

16.67

Recommendation

Better to rent

Price-to-Rent Ratio Guide

• Below 15: Generally better to buy
• 15-20: Typically better to rent
• Above 20: Much better to rent

What is the Price-to-Rent Ratio?

The Price-to-Rent Ratio helps you evaluate whether it's better to buy or rent a property by comparing the cost of purchasing to the annual cost of renting.

It is a widely used real estate metric that answers the question:

"How many years of rent would equal the cost of buying this property?"

​​​​​​​Price-to-Rent Ratio Formula

Price-to-Rent Ratio=Property PriceAnnual Rent\text{Price-to-Rent Ratio} = \frac{\text{Property Price}}{\text{Annual Rent}}

How to Calculate Annual Rent

Annual Rent=Monthly Rent×12\text{Annual Rent} = \text{Monthly Rent} \times 12

Ratio Range Interpretation
15 or below Better to buy (affordable market)
16–20 Borderline – depends on other factors
21 or above Better to rent (expensive market)

 

Example: Calculate Price-to-Rent Ratio

Suppose:

  • Property Price = $300,000
  • Monthly Rent = $1,500

Step 1: Calculate Annual Rent

Annual Rent=1500×12=18,000\text{Annual Rent} = 1500 \times 12 = 18{,}000

Step 2: Calculate Price-to-Rent Ratio

Price-to-Rent Ratio=300,00018,000=16.67\text{Price-to-Rent Ratio} = \frac{300{,}000}{18{,}000} = 16.67

Final Answer:

The Price-to-Rent Ratio is 16.67, which falls into the "Depends" zone. You should consider other factors like property taxes, maintenance, and market trends before deciding to buy or rent.

Conclusion

The Price-to-Rent Ratio is a helpful starting point for evaluating housing affordability. While it doesn’t account for all costs or investment growth, it gives a quick look at whether buying or renting makes more sense.

Price to Rent Ratio Calculator

Related Calculators